Effective marketing is one of the biggest keys to business success. You may have the best product or service around but if potential customers don’t know about it, you won’t make any sales. This is why most entrepreneurs place most of their attention on marketing and coming up with the best advertising ideas.
Advertising is a marketing method that involves paying for space to promote a product or service. This space can be on the internet, billboards, magazines, buildings, and even vehicles. Because advertising isn’t free, businesses need to see a return on any investment they make on adverts.
Small businesses and start-ups, in particular, don’t have a big marketing budget. So their adverts have to cost less while being highly effective. Keep reading if you are looking for the best advertising ideas to promote your products and services.
1. Advertise on Google My Business
The Transaction Agency found that 81% of people research a product or service online before buying it. Google is the largest search engine so advertising your product or service on their platform will get you sales and leads. In fact, 43% of E-commerce business comes from organic Google searches so you can’t afford to miss out on Google’s search results.
You can advertise on Google My Business by adding your product or service descriptions and photos to your company page. If possible, add a FAQ section about the product so that those doing research may have some of their questions answered. You can also create a Google post about your product or service and then promote it.
2. Advertise to Existing Customers
Another of our best advertising ideas is to hold on to your current customers. It costs more to get a new client via paid advertising than to keep an existing one. When you launch a new product or service, your loyal customers are most likely going to be your first buyers.
Take care of customers by offering things like an online preview, an exclusive pre-launch party, or free samples or tests of your product or service. Exclusive events for your customers will make them feel valued and keep them loyal to your brand.
3. Make Use of Email Advertising
Email marketing is amongst the best free advertising ideas. Not only is it a low-cost advertising method but it is also extremely effective. There are over 3.7 billion email users and 44% of them purchased due to a promotional email.
Email advertising can also keep your customers loyal through newsletters that keep them informed about new developments at your company. Always try to collect email addresses from leads and keep them in your mailing lists. Newsletters can get you sales since many people that click on a newsletter become paying customers.
4. Social Media Promotions
Everyone loves gifts or winning a contest. This factor alone makes social media one of the best advertising avenues. A successful promotion could generate a lot of leads and future customers.
When people sign up for contests you can gain client information for additional advertising through email, newsletters, or social media posts. Social media campaigns can also help you get more direct traffic to your website, attract new customers, and solidify relationships with your existing customers.
5. Facebook Ads
Facebook is the biggest social media platform with an estimated 2.6 billion monthly active users. This is a huge opportunity to get your product or service seen by consumers.
One reason why Facebook advertising is so effective is that they have string algorithms that can help you target the exact kind of customer that will be interested in your product or service. This could be according to age, gender, location, interests, etc.
The best Facebook advertising ideas are also cheaper than outdoor advertising such as Billboards. This is because the platform works with your budget and you can place a limit on how much they can charge you for advertising.
6. In-Store Advertising
One great way to reduce advertising costs is to advertise on your own space rather than paying for someone else’s space. This is why it is a good idea to develop a strong website and company social media pages for online marketing.
If you have a physical store you should also make the best use of your space by advertising your products both inside and outside the store. Make use of attractive branding, signage, LED displays, etc for your advertising. For your in-store advertising to be effective a lot of eyes have to see it.
You can encourage clients to come to your store by using exclusive in-store promotions.
7. Advertise on Packaging and Merchandise
Placing marketing messages on your packaging and merchandise is a friend and tested advertising method. For example, each time you see someone with a Starbucks coffee the branding on the coffee cup acts as an advertisement.
Branded plastic or paper bags are also one of the best advertising ideas for small businesses. People carry bags with them whenever they shop. So hundreds of eyes may end up seeing your eye-catching brand or marketing message on shopping bags.
Whatever product you create should always have your brand creatively displayed. Apple does a great job of this as consumers advertise the brand whenever they use their Mac or iPhone.
8. Word Of Mouth Advertising
A full 81% of consumers trust the advice of friends and family when choosing a product or service. Encourage word of mouth advertising by creating a referral program where you reward clientele that brings you new clients.
Use hashtags on your social media posts and motivate your followers to share your promotions and interesting content. Regularly reward followers that share your content or those that promote your business.
The Best Advertising Ideas for Your Business
Advertising is an important component of running a successful business. But many small companies don’t have the budget for expensive advertising campaigns. For them, the best advertising ideas are the cost-effective ones that we have discussed above.
We have plenty of other advice for business owners looking to get their brand in front of customers on the site. For more tips on advertising and marketing, read the rest of our blog.